The engagement of imperial princess Mako to her floppy-haired university sweetheart last week added to the gaiety of the Japanese nation but highlighted a tricky issue: the chrysanthemum throne is running out of royals.
Princesses are required by law to leave the imperial family when they marry a commoner, as the popular 25-year-old Mako will do when she weds aspiring lawyer Kei Komuro, reducing the membership of the imperial family from nineteen to eighteen.
Combined with cabinet approval on Friday for a bill allowing 83-year-old emperor Akihito to abdicate, the engagement has ignited a public debate — not about female succession or rights but rather about how to secure an adequate supply of royalty.
您已閱讀18%（710字），剩余82%（3235字）包含更多重要信息，訂閱以繼續(xù)探索完整內(nèi)容，并享受更多專屬服務(wù)。